I’ve been long overdue in sharing this restoration of my wife’s Zunow KYGM randonneur bike. Originally acquired via Yahoo Japan auctions in 2020, it is a sibling of my own Zunow randonneur bike and an example of Kageyama-san’s early full-custom work. Dating from the early 1970s, it is in the style of classic French randonneur bicycles, complete with Nervex lugs, 650B wheels, and Gilles Berthoud handlebar bag. I wrote about the bike and its history in detail in this article from 2022.
After the initial build was complete, the plan was to put a few hundred miles on it to confirm it fit before kicking off a restoration. She loved riding it so much that two years passed by quickly.
As 2024 rolled around, I promised myself that I would have it ready for her birthday in February. That winter, I had it professionally repainted in a beautiful dark blue sparkle with yellow accents. After the new paint, I began the rebuild, with help from Dave Perry at BikeCult. Dave did a great job building the wheels and installing the fenders. Read on for all the details and a gallery of photos!